1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for machining railroad truck side frames of various load capacities. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus which permits the machining of all critical wear surfaces of railroad truck side frames without removing the side frame from the apparatus once it is properly positioned on the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Because of the tremendous friction and wear forces experienced by railroad wheel trucks, the various wear surfaces of those trucks are subjected to severe wear and abrasion. Consequently, these critical surfaces of the railroad truck must be periodically repaired to allow extended life of an otherwise serviceable railroad wheel truck. In this regard, the worn surfaces must be machined to remove the pitted and worn surface and a new surface in the form of a wear plate of a predetermined thickness must be welded to rebuild the worn surface.
Heretofore, railroad side frames and railroad trucks have been machined by conventional machining apparatus which has not been specifically designed for machining such side frames. Thus, substantial setup time has been required to assure proper machining of those surfaces. Some attempts have been made in the past to provide machining equipment especially adapted to machine railroad trucks. However, such attempts have not proved to be commercially acceptable. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,008,083--Muller discloses one such prior art apparatus which has never achieved commercial success in this country. Accordingly, it would be a highly desirable advance in the art to provide an apparatus for machining the critical surfaces of a railroad side frame that permits highly accurate machining of those surfaces at greater speed, economy and convenience than has been permissible using prior art conventional machining apparatus.